Assistant city manager named to deputy spot after departure

Move is one of many for Sculley's executive team.

Updated 4:32 pm, Tuesday, October 11, 2011

When the city's new fiscal year begins Saturday, it'll bring with it several changes to City Manager Sheryl Sculley's executive team, including the departure of Deputy City Manager A.J. Rodriguez and the promotion of Assistant City Manager Erik Walsh.

Sculley gave the City Council a memo Thursday explaining the details of the resignation, several promotions and a rehire.

Rodriguez is leaving his post to return to the private sector as the executive director of public policy and government relations for Zachry Holdings Inc., where he'll be the primary public policy adviser to ZHI's chief executive and board of directors. His city salary is $194,000.

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“They deal with a number of things, industrial-type projects, nuclear power plants, a number of different items,” he said.

Sculley's memo offered praise for her deputy, who served as the president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce before joining the city a little more than three years ago.

“A.J. has been a loyal, hardworking, results-focused manager,” she wrote. “We are saddened that he is leaving the City team and grateful for his public service.”

Walsh, who currently earns $164,000 a year, will take over as deputy city manager and will continue to oversee the city's core services: police and fire. Animal Care Services, which is undergoing a number of significant changes itself, will also continue to report to Walsh. He's worked in various positions with the city for 17 years, including the last 51/2 years as an assistant city manager.

Sculley also appointed Ed Belmares, a former city executive who left in 2008 to work for CPS Energy, to an assistant city manager position. Belmares will oversee the public works, parks and recreation, convention and visitors bureau, and aviation departments.

Assistant City Manager Sharon De La Garza picked up an additional role as chief human resources officer. Sculley said she cleared out some of De La Garza's responsibilities — public works and parks and recreation — to make room for her oversight of the Human Resources Department.

“I want to elevate human resources and give it much more attention,” Sculley said. “A majority of the money in our budget goes for personnel costs.”